I think the most terrible thing about modern music is the overreliance on technology that allows the musically incompetant to sound good. I'm talking about MIDI, programable keyboards, etc.

The worst is techno and dance music which is programmed note for note, and once programed, you hit "PLAY" and there you go.

In my mind, music is music. Computer programing is computer programing. Music should require musical skill, which includes the ability to actually play an instrument, a good ear, and a sense of rhythm. With programing, you don't need any one of these. You can program at any speed you want and the computer controls the rhythm and tempo, and you can program one-fingered. The computer will warn you if you are playing off-key.

If you cannot sing worth a damn, a computer can correct your voice. Remember Cher?

It used to be that in order to make it in the music business, you must spend at least a decade on practice, practice, practice. In fact, most professional musicians practiced so much they ended up flunking out of school, because they were playing 15 hours/day. Now, you buy a keyboard, read the instruction manual, and spend a couple of weeks learning how to use it, you can be a star. That cheapens the whole industry.

Let's start a grass-roots campaign to protest the declination of music. How do we do it? Insist that the Grammy's differentiate between music and computer-aided "sounds"? Beat up anyone we see listening to that sh&t? What do we do?

Got to say amen to that as well...Now, you buy a keyboard, read the instruction manual, and spend a couple of weeks learning how to use it, you can be a star. That cheapens the whole industry.

lol. Two years ago I bought a keyboard for my home organ practicing (can't drop by a church every time I fancy playing the organ).
The seller suggested a Yamaha, and proceeded demonstrating to me why it was the best. He sat down, hit a few settings, and started to play.
Okay, his fingers were moving better than mine on the keyboard, but that was a freeking whole orchestra that was simulated there ! After he was finished, I couldn't help but asking "how much of this were you actually playing ?"

Well. I bought the keyboard, but not for the reason he advocated... Only because it had a few very good organ sound banks, and was quite good overall. But heck, I'm not using 0.1% of all its features !!!

Western pop music peaked in 1978 and it's reflected in the amount of gold & platnum albums from that year. 295 LPs to be exact went gold or platinum.

Hmmm... 1978. The year the Sex Pistols hit it big, wasn't it? Isn't it interesting how the Pistols, and Punk music in general, were rebelling against the more sophisticated forms of music by intentionally playing like they did not know how. In fact, Sid Vicious could hardly play bass at all. Most punk bands were little better. But it was intentional. Punk was a statement - anti-establishment, anti-education, anti-everything. They did not want to sound good - they wanted simply to be so loud and nasty that if you turned it up loud enough your lawn would die.

But amazingly, now we have a huge industry based on people who know even LESS about making music than the Punks, and nobody realizes it! Modern Dance /Trance is no statement at all - it's simply ignorant.

Techno and computer-generated compositions are bad enough, but it's just the tip of the iceberg. I think the whole world should just listen to the music made between 1960 and 1979, but a DSLR is first on my list of things to do. Priorities, sorry.

Actually, '80s was (or so I believe) the brainchild for all of this. With the advent of widespread computer usage, it was pure trial and error that this came about. Artists began seeing what they could do with this new technology, and unfortunately it cought on. I guess I'd let all the 80s music into my little list of permissible music, but that's the extent of it.

Rap also gets on my nerves, moreso than techno and the like, but that's a whole 'nother argument to be had. It's also personal preference, so I'll just stick to what I like...classic rock!